Sr Staff Applications Operations Engineer – Engineering Tools Automation & AI Ops

GE Aerospace•Grand Rapids, MI

3d•$131,000 - $174,000•Remote

About The Position

The Sr Staff Applications Operations Engineer is the senior technical operations authority for engineering application pods supporting software, hardware and electronic design, and project and portfolio management tools for U.S. and U.K. users. The role supports and maintains critical applications and related data-processing platforms and services, ensuring teams have the facilities, tools, resources, and skills to deliver on commitments while monitoring application operations delivery SLAs. The engineer owns operational practices for incident management, change controls, support coverage, and compliant provisioning. The position defines and improves operational KPIs and SLAs, leads escalations and root-cause analysis, and performs hands-on Linux and Windows server administration across development, test, and production environments. It automates operational work and advances CI/CD capabilities, including leading the use of AI for operations and developing an Agentic Operations framework for wider Engineering Operations DT adoption. The role owns the portfolio lifecycle and obsolescence roadmap, leads migrations from legacy platforms such as IBM Rational Synergy and Change, and assesses AWS hosting options while maintaining continuity for regulated programs. It also coaches Applications Operations engineers, establishes technical standards and runbooks, influences partner teams, participates in Agile planning, and provides escalation coverage as required. The position is remote and requires access to U.S. export-controlled information; employment is contingent on proving U.S. Person status.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college and at least 5 years of professional experience, or an Associate's degree and at least 8 years of professional experience, or a High School Diploma and at least 10 years of professional experience.
At least 5 years of professional experience in Application Operations or systems administration supporting enterprise or engineering applications.
At least 3 years of hands-on Linux server administration experience.
Legal authorization to work in the United States; employment visas will not be sponsored now or in the future.
Ability to prove U.S. Person status as a U.S. lawful permanent resident, U.S. citizen, or person granted asylee or refugee status.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex technical issues as actionable messages for engineers and senior leaders.
Customer-focused, comfortable with ambiguity, and a data-driven problem solver.
Ability to work effectively with global teams, independently and collaboratively, with a curious and improvement-oriented approach.

Nice To Haves

Deep hands-on Linux/Unix server administration, such as RHEL, including patching, tuning, troubleshooting, and scripting.
Hands-on AWS experience, such as EC2, S3, IAM, and VPC, for hosting or migrating enterprise applications.
Experience using AI-enabled operational tools and automation to streamline infrastructure support, reduce manual effort, and improve service reliability.
Experience with IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management tools (DOORS Next, EWM, ETM), DOORS Classic, or Rational Synergy and Change.
Experience leading platform migrations, including moving from legacy source control to Git-based tools such as GitHub.
Automation and CI/CD experience with Python, Bash, PowerShell, Jenkins, Artifactory, or Ansible, and experience with ITSM tools such as ServiceNow.
Experience in regulated aerospace or defense environments, including DO-178C, DO-254, export control, or CMMC.
Recognized technical expertise and experience coaching and mentoring others.
Ability to influence without authority, build support across teams and levels, and drive alignment on technical direction.
Experience as a change agent in Agile delivery, such as Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe.

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior technical operations authority across engineering application pods supporting U.S. and U.K. users.
Define, track, and improve operational KPIs and SLAs, and communicate status, risks, and trends to users and leadership.
Drive consistent incident, problem, and change management across application pods; lead high-severity escalations and root-cause analysis.
Administer Linux and Windows servers across development, test, and production environments.
Partner with cybersecurity and compliance teams to meet security, export-control, and regulatory requirements, including CMMC and NIST SP 800-171.
Automate operational work such as provisioning, monitoring, patching, license management, and reporting.
Advance CI/CD capabilities for engineering teams and measure impact against operational KPIs.
Lead the use of AI for operations and develop an Agentic Operations framework for broader Engineering Operations DT adoption.
Own the portfolio lifecycle and obsolescence roadmap; track end-of-support risks and drive upgrade, migration, and retirement plans.
Lead hands-on migrations from legacy platforms, including IBM Rational Synergy and Change, assess AWS hosting options, and protect continuity for regulated programs.
Present risk-assessed change options to leadership, weighing cost, risk, and benefit.
Coach and mentor Applications Operations engineers, building capabilities in Linux, automation, cloud, and operations practices.
Set technical standards and runbooks, and influence engineers at SPB levels and below and partner teams.
Participate in Agile planning and provide escalation coverage as required.
Prioritize operational work by program impact and build business cases that consider cost, licensing, and lifecycle trade-offs.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage
Health Coach access
Employee Assistance Program with confidential assessment, counseling, and referral services
401(k) savings plan with company matching contributions and company retirement contributions
Fidelity resources and planning consultants
Tuition assistance
Adoption assistance
Paid parental leave
Disability insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off for vacation or illness
Annual discretionary bonus